


The Egg Cracks

by SioDymph



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Family Angst, Gen, I'm Sorry, Physical Abuse, Snakes, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 04:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14608860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SioDymph/pseuds/SioDymph
Summary: Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska didn't have the kindest childhoods. Even when good things happened it seemed like the Valeska family could never be happy for long.





	The Egg Cracks

Each family in Haly’s Circus was a master of something. And the Valeska family was the master of snakes.

Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska had been born and raised surrounded by snakes. For as long as they could remember they had always been there. All their cages lined up right outside. And whenever they traveled they would mill about the Valeska trailer. One of Jerome’s earliest memories was waking up to a bright orange corn snake weaving through the wooden bars on his crib.

And while the twins hadn’t had the most supervision growing up there were five clear rules they were always expected to follow. Until they were trained to perform or old enough to manage stands they were to stay away from the big top on show night. Never interrupt a performance of their mother or any other performer. If their mother wanted them to do something, they did it. Never mention her drinking or choice in house guests. And absolutely never, _ever_ mess with her snakes.

Some rules were harder to follow, especially when the sounds of audiences gasping and roaring with applause was too much for the boys’ curiosity. But Jeremiah and Jerome Valeska were adamant about following the final rule. They knew how important their mother’s snakes were to her.

But even if they hadn’t learned just how much their mother cared about her snake collection, Jeremiah and Jerome came to care about her snakes too. Each one was completely unique, in both appearance and personality. And as they watched their mother practice for her performances neither boy could deny how mystical and amazing snake dancing could be.

Ms. Valeska had a small but impressive collection of snakes. All of which she’d trained herself for her performances. One of her most precious snakes was a Ball python with a yellow coloring so light she looked like Easter incarnate. A considerably expensive python for certain. Her name was Miss Jaune and she was the pride and joy of the twin’s mother. Only coming second to Ms. Vaeska’s true pride and joy… Sheba: a Burmese python she had raised since she was a teenager. But Miss Jaune was beautiful. When she wrapped around the snake charmer’s arm and neck during her routine she’d look like fine jewelry. She was always a source of inspiration for Jeremiah and Jerome’s imaginations. They loved her and all the other snakes.

One day when they were seven years old, their mother came home with a brand new snake. A little ball python who almost had a pinkish gleam on his white scales. The boys immediately loved the snake and excitedly asked their mother if he was going to be her newest performer.

“No,” she replied, setting him down gently in a cage right next to Miss Jaune. “A friend of mine is letting me borrow him for a week or two.”

Jeremiah and Jerome weren’t sure what their mother meant. But they were delighted to see two such brightly colored snakes sitting side by side. They had always thought Miss Jaune was colored like spring time and now with this other pink snake there they looked simply adorable. Jerome thought it would be cute to put both the snakes in a basket with some painted eggs but both Jeremiah and their mother said that would be a waste of time.

Things moved quickly after that. Shortly after the pink snake was sent away Miss Jaune started changing. She started to grow faster and behaving unlike herself. It all seemed to come to a head though when one night the Valeska family came home to see Miss Jaune curled up around a clutch of eggs.

Ms. Valeska had been prepared for this. She set up an incubator in the trailer’s kitchen counter and dutifully transferred each egg out of the cage and into the incubator. She counted each one and her face lit up when she came to eight. Miss Jaune had laid eight eggs in all.

“Shouldn’t she stay on top of her eggs? Like chickens do?” Jerome asked, not sure what was happening but filled with excitement regardless.

“Maybe,” Their mother said. “But I need her recovering and ready for her next performance. And she might hurt the eggs on accident if we leave them in there. Her cage isn’t the biggest.”

Once the whole clutch was safe in the incubator, Ms. Valeska leaned back in a wooden chair and grinned over her new eggs. “Eight eggs. That’s more than I expected.” She said softly to herself, a habit both of her sons would pick up over time.

For several weeks the incubator stayed there on the kitchen counter. Going with them on the road, traveling from camp to camp. On nights of big shows when the boys weren’t allowed out near the tents they stayed inside. Dutifully watching over the eggs. They always hoped they would see them hatch but their mother said it would take over 50 days until they got to that point.

One evening when they reached their half-way point after a full month in the incubator, Ms. Valeska gathered her boys around the incubator. And picked up one of the eggs. “I think it’s high time we checked on these little guys, don’t you think?”

“Ok, what do we check for?” Jerome asked, inching forwards to pick out an egg of his own.

His hand was smacked before he made it far. But their mother quickly regained some of her composure and continued. “You two don’t touch anything. Just look. You’re gonna like this.”

She picked up a flashlight and put it close to the egg. Both boys were filled with curiosity and anticipation for what might happen. Then, looking over both her sons with a mischievous smirk she turned on the flashlight.

Both boys were utterly in awe by the sight. It had only seemed like a simple white egg before. Only a little more than a rock in a glass incubator. But now they could see a tiny, pulsing form hidden inside. A baby snake. A life just waiting to begin.

A few times the snake would twitch and writhe a little. That made Jerome giggle. Jeremiah’s eyes traced slowly over the web of veins branching out along the baby snake’s form, connecting it to the rest of the egg.

Ms. Valeska continued, slowly inspecting all eight eggs, inside and out, while her sons watched. Every egg had a tiny form growing in it. And this seemed to raise Ms. Valeska’s spirits even more.

“I wonder what they’ll look like.” Jeremiah said, leaning in closer to see one of the eggs. He was trying to see if the snake had scales but it was difficult to tell since they could only see a shadow of the creature inside. “Since both their parents are pale, does that mean they will be too?”

“That’s what I’m riding on.” Ms. Valeska replied smugly. “This incubator’s gonna look like Easter morning once they all hatch!”

Jerome beamed at that, looking up to the egg while wonderful thoughts filled his head. He could see himself and Jeremiah someday soon, taking over as the Haly’s Circus snake dancers. They would move completely in sync with beautiful snakes wrapped around them. Ones that were all white and yellow and pink. There would be a gasps of wonder and awe from the audience. The Valeaksa Twin Snake Charmers did have a nice sound to it. At least to Jerome.

“I can’t wait to see then in your show! After they hatch you could train them to hide in a bouquet of flowers and then they could all slither out after you give it to someone! Or you could wrap them around you fingers like little rings, that’d be so cool! And Miss Jaune could be your necklace!” When Jerome was excited he got chatty. Already the little boy was known around Haly’s for being able to talk anyone’s ear off. He wanted to keep talking about all the possible future routines. But he got a little more timid when it came to his last idea. “Maybe. Maybe Jeremiah and I could hold them during the show?”

His mother frowned. “Oh no, I’m not keeping any of these guys. A soon as they hatch I’m selling them to a friend.”

Jerome was crestfallen. There went his dreams of him and Jeremiah dancing in the big top with arms full of pastel snakes.

“Oh Jerome, don’t give me that look.” Their mother said, slowly turning the snake in her hand. Not actually looking at Jerome as she addressed him. “These guys won’t stay small forever, where am I going to put them all? When am I going to have time to train them? Not to mention feeding an additional eight snakes. There’s a reason why I only keep my main five.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Jeremiah replied for Jerome who was still pouting.

“Besides, my friend made a deal. We were only expecting five or six eggs but now that we got more… Things are going to be a little nicer around here.” There was mirth in Ms. Valeska’s tone and the boys could see a spark in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Jerome asked, now growing curious.

“Well, we agreed to fifty dollars a snake. You do the math.”

Jerome looked blankly at his mother, and after a moment of thinking Jeremiah’s face lit up in shock. “Four hundred dollars!?”

Their mother nodded, now grinning widely. “And I’m gonna spend it on whatever you boys want!”

Jeremiah and Jerome both gasped. Neither boy had ever had four hundred anything, let alone dollars. And each already had ideas of things they could possibly get.

A few months ago Jeremiah had seen a microscope kit that looked fascinating to him but it had been so expensive he didn’t even try mentioning it to his mother. But that would only be a fraction of the money they now had! He wondered if his mother would let him keep some of the egg shells so he could look at them up close. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realize at first he was still smiling.

“Could I get a couple books?” Jerome asked, still a little unsure.

“You can get as many books as you like!” His mother said, putting the egg gently back into the incubator and ruffling Jerome’s hair.

Jerome was elated. Already three things came to mind. There was a joke book and a mystery novel he’d seen at a book store the last time Haly’s stopped in a big city. And he had also been thinking about having a sketch pad so he wouldn’t have to draw on lined paper anymore! Maybe he’d even buy some fantasy stories that’d caught his eye!

They spent the rest of the evening looking over the incubator, talking about the fun things they’d like to spend the money on, occasionally holding an egg up to the light and marveling at it.

Eventually though Ms. Valeska decided to send her sons to bed for the night. And reluctantly both boys went to get changed and hop into their beds. While their mother had the only bedroom in the trailer, Jerome and Jeremiah had a bunkbed that was pushed off to the corner along with a bookshelf and a small chest filled with hand-me-down toys from other families.

As Jeremiah climbed up to the top bunk and Jerome crawled into the bottom half. Their mother watched them from the far side of the trailer. And bid them both goodnight before turning off all the lights. She picked up bottle of wine that had been unopened all night, and clicked her bedroom door shut, locking it behind her.

The night passed slowly and while Jeremiah eventually fell asleep Jerome just couldn’t. He kept looking out towards the kitchen area. Towards the counter where the incubator sat, giving off its red glow as it kept all Miss Jaune’s eggs safe and warm. And the flashlight had been left right next to it.

Any time he tried to close his eyes he’d seen the eggs, illuminated under the flashlight, with shadows of twitchy little baby snakes inside. He wanted to see that again so badly!

He listened for anyone but Jeremiah was fast asleep above him and their mother’s bedroom was equally quiet. When Jerome couldn’t stand it any longer, he made up his mind. Gingerly pealing back his blankets, he got out of bed and crept across the trailer.

He wasn’t tall enough to reach the countertop so he climbed up onto a chair. He tried to be careful but he quickly became over confident, too excited and sloppy with his work. And as he went to pick up the flashlight he heard rustling from the top bunk.

“Jerome? What are you doing up?” Jeremiah asked. He was very groggy and a little grumpy.

Jerome grinned, shaking the flashlight in his hands and doing his best to whisper. “I wanna look at the babies!”

Jeremiah frowned, but started climbing out of bed to join his brother in the kitchen. “Why? We already saw them once.”

“I know, but I wanna see them again!” Jerome replied. “Mom said she’s giving them away once they hatch so I we gotta look at them while we still can!”

Jeremiah was lost. Of the two brothers Jerome could be much more emotional. He could get easily sentimental over small things that Jeremiah just couldn’t see the point of dwelling on. But Jeremiah knew if he didn’t let his brother do this he would get so mopey and sad, it would be unbearable! So despite not understanding why he was like this, Jeremiah let his brother continue. “Fine. Just be careful.”

Jerome gave out an excited squeal as he reached into the incubator and plucked out one small egg. “This is so cool! I love these little guys!”

After a few moments struggling to turn on the flashlight with one hand Jerome finally got it. And once he had the light shining under the egg he couldn’t but gasp at the sight again. It was mesmerizing to the boy.

“There he is!” Jerome said, his voice was filled with wonder. “Do you think he’s dreaming right now?”

“Possibly.” Jeremiah said. He honestly didn’t know but it seemed reasonable.

Jerome held it up closer until the egg was practically touching his nose. “I wish we could keep you and all your brothers and sisters.”

It took Jeremiah a moment to realize that he was talking to the egg. He rolled his eyes at his brother’s dramatics. “You know it can’t hear you, right?”

“You don’t know that!” Jerome whined a little too loudly.

Both boys paled when they heard their mother’s bed creak.

The door to Ms. Valeska’s bedroom flew open and she blearily looked out, eyes taking a moment to focus until they became pinpricks on Jerome. “What the hell are you doing?”

The room flooded with light suddenly. And in that tiny frame of time Jerome panicked. He fell back on the counter. He lost his grip.

And he dropped the egg.

Jerome had no time to react when it slipped from his hand and plummeted to the floor. He was stuck looking where it had only been in between his fingers a millisecond before. And then he heard the sickening noise.

Normally the trailer walls absorbed any sounds. But in that moment the tiny thud of the egg on the tile seemed to reverberate off the walls.

He dropped the egg. And it broke.

“I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Jerome stammered. He dove off the counter, fell to his knees and tried to pick it up. “I can tape it back together and-” He cut himself off with a shout. Watching helplessly as egg fell apart completely in his hands.

He could hear his mother stomping towards him but he was trapped looking at the broken egg. The puddle of slime dripping out of his hands back onto the floor, and the tiny mass in the palm of his hand.

“Jerome Karlsen Valeska, what the _FUCK_ did you do!?” Ms. Valeska shouted. When she saw the state of the egg she went completely livid.

“I’m sorry.” Jerome tried weakly.

His words fell on deaf ears. “What did I tell you? I told you not to touch them! I’ve told you hundreds of times not to fucking touch them!”

His mother had yet to raise her hand to him but Jerome kept flinching, unsure what was going to happen next. He began to panic. “Wait! Please, I can fix this. I-I could use an old easter egg and put him in there.”

The hand came down after that. A slap across the face. It threw the small child onto his side and burned half of his face.

“Are you an idiot!?” His mother shouted. “Are you a complete fucking moron? Look at it!”

Jerome tried to hide his red face but his mother grabbed him harshly by the cheek and forced him to look at the broken egg.

“I said look at it! It’s already dead!”

Jerome looked at the egg more carefully. He could see the little snake, it was much smaller than it’d appeared under the flashlight. But he could still see it squirming around weakly.

“Are you sure it’s dead?”

There was no warning when the fists came down on Jerome then. Hitting his arms, his shoulders, throwing him down and slamming into his back until it hurt to breath. In all the chaos he lost the tiny mass and the broken pieces of the egg. He was so panicked he couldn’t focus on anything. He kept trying to crawl away but his mother would drag him back and keep hitting him. He could only sob onto the tile begging his mother to stop. To forgive him.

Above him he could hear his mother. But she didn’t sound like a mother. She sounded like a snarling monster with venomous words dripping out of her mouth. “I told you not to touch the eggs! You completely disobeyed me! And now one of them is dead! You killed it! You’re a horrible son! You miserable! Little! Murderer!”

Each thing she said was accented with a sharp hit, thrown almost at random. The boy was curled up in a ball, desperately trying to shield himself. He just kept repeating over and over that he was so, so sorry.

But that only seemed to make his mother even more livid. “Oh! You’re sorry are you? Well sorry won’t cut it! Sorry isn’t going to fix the mess you made! The life you killed!”

That only made Jerome cry harder until he wasn’t even saying words. And soon he couldn’t keep himself curled in a ball and turned into a heap on the kitchen floor under his mother’s beating.

When Jerome stopped putting up a fight, Ms. Valeska started to lose her concentration. Her eyes left her son crumpled on the ground and locked onto her other child. Jeremiah clung to the kitchen cabinet and he felt his knees go to jelly under him when he saw his mother stand and stalk towards him.

“No! Please, don’t hurt me!” Jeremiah begged, bowing his head as if that would protect him. “I didn’t do anything!”

“You never do anything do you?” His mother growled.

When she snatched his arm he couldn’t help but shriek. His mother’s grip was like iron and she squeezed his arm roughly.

“You just stand there doing nothing! You didn’t even try to stop your ignoramus of a brother! What, do I have two idiots for sons?!”

Jeremiah squeezed his eyes shut, fearing the worst as his mother’s grip on his arm tightened painfully. But she didn’t move to do anything worse than that.

Jerome couldn’t process everything that he was seeing from where he was on the floor. He was breathing in panicked, wispy spurts. All he could focus on was the fact that his mother wasn’t there now and that he could see a path to his bed going right behind his brother. Not thinking about anything else he scrambled off the kitchen tile and bolted for safety. He tried to duck his head and squeeze behind Jeremiah and the kitchen cabinet.

Ms. Valeska did not care for that at all. In a quick movement she let go of Jeremiah and shoved her other son so roughly he slipped and fell, hitting his head on the side of the bunk bed. But he quickly scrambled up. Dove into the bed and hid. Trusting that his blankets and bed sheets would protect him from his mother’s wrath.

Jeremiah was still in reach but their mother made no move to grab him again. She was breathing heavier, staring at Jerome as he hid himself. But she didn’t go after him either. Instead she turned and went back to her room, emerging with what was left of her drink.

And then she headed for the door, slower than she had been going to grab her sons. A cold breeze blew into the trailer when she opened the front door. She grabbed her purse and her coat. Just before she left though she spared her each of her children a glance. Gauging them.

“You're both pathetic. Pathetic little idiots.” Was the last thing muttered by Ms. Valeska.

Their mother slammed the door so hard the walls of the trailer trembled. Jerome was sobbing while Jeremiah strained his ears to try and hear over the noise. Sure enough after several loud stomps and the jangling of keys he heard the door lock. Then the stomps continued until they were gone entirely.

Jeremiah walked over to Jerome who had already hidden himself under his bedsheets on the bottom half of their bunkbed.

“Alright Jerome, she’s gone.” He said patiently.

But he got no response from his brother who continued to cry loudly. He tugged his blankets over his head until he was completely hidden from sight. Just a trembling pile of bedsheets.

Jeremiah pushed his brother form a little. “Jerome?”

Faintly heard his brother speaking, a mess of hiccupping and stutters as he was still crying. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. It- it was an accident I swear! I never-”

“I know Jerome.” Jeremiah said with a sigh crawling unto the bed to join his brother.

“But it slipped and I just-”

“Jerome.”

“It hit the floor before I could catch it and-”

“Jerome.” He said a little harsher, growing impatient.

“It was an accident!”

“Jerome!” Jeremiah said with a huff, pulling the blankets off his brother’s head so he could see his face. “Stop it.”

Jerome’s face was blotchy, his nose was running and his entire face was wet with tears. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I’m a murderer!”

“I know you didn’t mean to.” Jeremiah said. He spoke more quietly, more gently, as he pulled Jerome into a hug. “Now calm down. You’re barely breathing.”

Jeremiah didn’t know exactly what he was doing. Whenever people cried on tv or in books they got hugged like this so it must be the right thing to do. Right? While he was hugging his twin there was still a wall a blankets that kept him from actually touching Jerome. And he cringed at the sight of Jerome’s snotty face whenever he got too close to his own. But his words and actions worked regardless. Jerome struggled to stop crying and get his breathing under control. He tried to take deeper breaths. Tried to slow himself down. Several times he’d loose his rhythm and start hyperventilating and the fight would start all over again.

But after a few more minutes of struggling Jerome finally got his breathing back down to a stable pattern. Just in and out. Though it was much more labored than normal.

Jeremiah seemed to calm down too now that Jerome had a grip on himself. Much less tense and awkward than when he first crawled over to Jerome’s side. He didn’t move to stop hugging his brother. If anything he actually held him tighter as he continued talking. The soft tone he’d used earlier was gone and he spoke more with the clinical, adult-ish attitude he normally had.

“You’re not a murderer. A murder is when a human kills another human. Mom was just overreacting.”

He heard Jerome hum in reply but he didn’t use actual words.

“You know how she can get. She’s just mad that she won’t be able to sell all eight eggs now.” As he spoke Jeremiah found his gaze pulled to long shadows casted through the trailer but the string of lights outside.

Thinking about the eggs made him frown. With one egg gone now the most they would get was $350. That was still enough to buy the things they’d wanted but Jeremiah doubted their mother would spend the money on them now. Not on his microscope. Especially not on Jerome’s books. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He knew Jerome was sorry, and what he’d done had been an accident, but now because of one bad choice they were all paying the price.

Jeremiah could feel Jerome’s breath picked and get panicky again. He shushed him and tried to pet at his hair. He wasn’t sure if that actually helped but at least Jerome tried to hush up.

“Are you hurt?” Jeremiah asked once he could think fully again. When their mother went on a rampage they both usually ended up with bruises and burns. And tonight had been no different. He began to recall seeing Jerome hit his head on the bed frame. “How’s your head?”

Jerome nodded and squirmed to sit in an upright position. “I feel like there’s a pulse in the front of my head. Right above my eyebrows... And my back feels really sore now.”

“She did hit you a lot on the back this time.” Jeremiah said, simply stating the facts.

“I’ll be ok though.”

“Ok…”

They both went quiet after that. The only sounds being the ambient noises of the carnival. Buzzing lights. People cheering and laughing. The occasional melody of an organ from far away.

Jeremiah kept trying to listen for the front door, perhaps their mother had just gone outside to vent and then she’d come back. But the longer she was gone the more it seemed like they were going to spend the night home alone.

A few times he heard Jerome whine and cry quietly into his blanket cocoon again, and Jeremiah would shush him and try to say reassuring things again. But eventually his breathing evened out and his body went slack as he fell asleep being hugged by his brother.

Jeremiah kept his ears open well into the night. Waiting to hear the front door creak open and their mother’s voice drift through the trailer. But eventually he started drifting off despite his best efforts to stay awake. He felt himself slide off the wall and sink lower into the bunk bed. Curled around his brother. Falling asleep in a silent home.

The next morning Jerimiah and Jerome woke up to a silent home as well.

Cautiously the boy got out from the bunk they’d shared for the night, ready to face their mother again but the trailer was completely empty. Mother never came home last night.

Still freaked out by what happened Jerome went outside to try and apologize to Miss Jaune.  Jerome approached her cage with a handful of tiny flowers tied together with a string. Jerimiah wasn’t far behind watching curiously to see what would happen. The brothers had spent all morning looking around camp for real flowers but could only find a few patches of weeds with yellow buds so they made do with those. With tears in his eyes Jerome was stuttering through an apology when their mother slowly trudged back to the trailer. She saw them near her snakes.

“What are you doing?” She asked. She didn’t seem mad anymore, just exhausted.

Jerimiah shrank in on himself. Unable to respond or even look at his mother. But Jerome answered, tensing as if he were about to be hit.

“I- I was trying to apologize to Miss Jaune. For killing her baby.”

Grumbling she pushed past Jerome and threw open the door. “She’s just an animal, she could care less if one egg cracked. They don’t mean anything to her.”

Jerimiah and Jerome both jumped as the door slammed shut behind her. But once they were sure she wouldn’t come back out to keep yelling Jerome looked back up at Miss Jaune. Staring directly into her little red eyes.

“I swear it was an accident…” He said quietly and gently put the flowers in her cage. “I just wanted to see your baby up close. I didn’t mean to drop him... But I did, and now one of your baby’s dead. I’m really, _really_ sorry.”

Both boys stood their silently. Staring at the snake in its cage. Waiting to see how she would take the horrible news.

But Miss Jaune had no outward reaction. She just looked over the bouquet dropped into her cage.

“Miss Jaune?” Jerome asked, worried. He tapped on the glass to try and keep her attention. She’d look up towards the noise for a few seconds before becoming engrossed with the flowers again.

Jerome started getting mad, tapping a little rougher on the glass. “I know you can hear me! You listen to Mom when you’re in her show.”

“Jerome?” Jerimiah called, not liking the angry look growing on his brother’s face.

“I killed your son!” Jerome snarled. He looked like he wanted to hit the cage even harder but he stopped himself. Hands shaking and clenched into fists at his sides. “It was an accident but he’s gone! And you’ll never see him again!”

“Jerome!” Jerimiah yelled again a little louder. He hated when Jerome got mad, he’d get the same look on his face their mother had. “Jerome stop it!”

This time one of his fists did come back up and punched the side of the cage. The line of cages shook and for a terrifying moment Jerimiah thought the whole thing was going to fall down. But Jerome didn’t seem to notice as he was focused on Miss Jaune.

Something broke in his voice though as he tried to continue. “Doesn’t… Doesn’t that bother you? Don’t you have anything to say?”

Both boys stepped closer to look closer at Miss Jaune when an angry voice from inside stopped them entirely. “You two better leave my snakes alone or so help me-”

Jerome and Jerimiah went silent and stock-still, just waiting for their mother to storm out and drag them back into the trailer. But she never did.

Only after he was certain their mother wouldn’t come out Jerimiah quietly stepped closer to his brother and whispered in his ear. “Come on Jerome. She doesn’t care, she’s a snake. Just give it up.”

At first he tried to ignore his brother. Even when he tugged at his arm. But eventually Jerome caved in. He followed his brother, silent and sullen. He only spared a single glance back to look at Miss Jaune. Only to see her slithering right over the bouquet he spent all morning putting together. Once it lost her mild interest she moved on and curled up under her sunlamp.

Jerome felt hurt. But he was so confused too. Last night he thought he’d done something unforgivably horrible. But come morning it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Miss Jaune didn’t care. Jeremiah didn’t seem to really care much. And after her screaming fit last night, now his mother didn’t care either.

Nobody seemed to care.

“Let’s go over to the Grayson’s. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if we join them for breakfast… again.” Jeremiah suggested.

Jerome nodded, not really caring where Jeremiah was dragging them off to. He didn’t say a word but there was a storm of messy thoughts brewing in his head.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I was inspired to write this one-shot for a while, ever since Jeremiah was introduced to the show, and it's finally all come together. 
> 
> I was really inspired by the idea that the Valeska twins weren't born evil and "insane", since I think that's wrong and unfair. Rather, due to the abuse and neglect they dealt with, undiagnosed mental disorders, isolation, and constantly being pitted against one another they both grew more angry and hostile. 
> 
> (FYI sorry for any grammar and spelling I might have missed before publishing this.)


End file.
